Geographical discrimination of uvaia (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess) by principal component analysis

• Published in: Journal of the science of food and agriculture 2019-12, Vol.99 (15), p.6778-6787
• Main Authors: Sganzerla, William Gustavo, Beling, Patrícia Carolina, Ferreira, Ana Letícia Andrade, Azevedo, Mônia Stremel, Ferrareze, Jocleita Peruzzo, Komatsu, Roberto Akitoshi, Nunes, Michael Ramos, Lima Veeck, Ana Paula
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: antioxidant capacity; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - analysis; Ascorbic acid; Ascorbic Acid - analysis; Bioactive compounds; Biological activity; Brazil; Brazilian native's fruits; Carbohydrates; Cultivars; Discriminant Analysis; Discrimination; Ethanol; Eugenia - chemistry; Eugenia - classification; Flavonoids; Flavonoids - analysis; Fruit - chemistry; Fruit - classification; Fruits; Genetic improvement; Geography; Natural selection; nutritional composition; Nutritive Value; Organic chemistry; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Phenols - analysis; Plant Extracts - analysis; Plants (botany); Principal Component Analysis; Principal components analysis; Pulp; Sulfonic acid
• ISSN: 0022-5142; 1097-0010
• DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.9961

BACKGROUND The international marketing of native Brazilian fruits may benefit from research into discrimination between plants with particular properties. Plants with certain characteristics have strong potential for use in agroindustry and for the development of new processed products. In the current study, 12 uvaia plants (Eugenia pyriformis Cambess), native to Brazil, were geographically discriminated by chemometric methods, using nutritional composition, physicochemical characterization, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity data. RESULTS Uvaia fruits presented good nutritional value, with a high moisture and carbohydrate content. All fruits presented a pH value lower than 4, being classified as highly acidic, and the total soluble solids (°Brix) ranged between 2.90 and 9.80. Some plants had a higher vitamin C content, and all the plants had a high bioactive compound content (phenolic and flavonoids) and antioxidant capacity in 1,1‐difenil‐2‐picrilhidrazil (DPPH), 2,2'‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. Hydroethanolic solution was the best extraction solvent tested when compared with water and ethanol. Using principal component analysis, it was possible to discriminate among the plants in five different groups; however, just one group was responsible for higher antioxidant compound content. CONCLUSION In this work, 12 native uvaia plants were discriminated by their geographical origin using a chemometric approach. Genetic improvement based on natural selection could be accomplished with some of the plants to improve the quality of uvaia pulp and to develop new cultivars. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry